Artists’ Biennial

Curated by Jackie Im and Anuradha Vikram / April 26–August 4 of 2024.

Jackie Im and Anuradha Vikram are the curators of the 2024 Biennial, which is focused on themes of networks, community, care, and support. Rather than a hierarchical approach to artists’ works, the curators’ goal is to present work that is timely and relevant to the communities of Oregon.

The Artists’ Biennial is a selection of artists who are working within the curatorial themes. The artists included range in age from 25 to over 65 years old. Over 50 percent are BIPOC, including artists that identify as Asian American, Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and multiracial. Over 50 percent are LGBTQ+, and the group includes artists identifying as transgender, non binary, or gender diverse. Our choice of curators also supports these demographics.

This will be the seventh biennial in Oregon Contemporary’s series, which began in 2010. Previously focused on Portland artists—as a continuation of the program initiated by the  Portland Art Museum in 1949—the biennial expanded to an Oregon-wide selection of artists in 2016. Curator-led each time in its scope and themes, the biennial has been housed in art venues throughout the city, art and community spaces throughout Oregon, and back to the 12,000 square-foot home of Oregon Contemporary in North Portland’s Kenton neighborhood. With more space designated for public arts programming at Oregon Contemporary than ever before, this biennial will utilize the spaces for the exhibitions and our First Saturdays for performances and programs, with occasional partner venues presenting works as fitting for the artists. The programs will run May–August of 2024.

Participating artists: Carla Bengtson / Meech Boakye / Srijon Chowdhury / Epiphany Couch / Megita Denton / Michael Espinoza / Marcus Fischer / Bean Gilsdorf / Patricia Vázquez Gómez / Anne Greenwood / Bridgette Hickey / chimæra/project / Horatio Hung-Yan Law / Maxx Katz / Rainen Knecht / Methods Body / Morgan Ritter / Sarah Rushford / Tyler Stoll / UwU Collective / Vo Vo.

Jackie Im is a curator, writer, and editor based in Oakland, California. She currently serves at the Associate Curator of the San Francisco Arts Commission Galleries. She is also the co-founder and Director of Et al. and Et al., etc. in San Francisco. Im has organized exhibitions at the Wattis Institute of Contemporary Art (San Francisco), Queens Nails (San Francisco), The Lab (San Francisco), Important Projects (Oakland), Holiday Forever (Jackson Hole, Wyoming), and SFAC Galleries. Her writing has appeared in Fillip Magazine, Art Practical, Curiously Direct, and various exhibition catalogues. She holds a BA in Art History from Mills College and an MA in Curatorial Practice from California College of the Arts.

Anuradha Vikram is a Los Angeles-based writer, educator, and curator of the upcoming Getty Pacific Standard Time Art and Science exhibition Atmosphere of Sound: Sonic Art in Times of Climate Disruption (September 2024–March 2025) at UCLA. They recently curated the mid-career survey exhibition Jaishri Abichandani: Flower-Headed Children at Craft Contemporary (January 30–May 8, 2022) and the series Illuminate LA for the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture (September 2022–January 2023). Their book Decolonizing Culture is a collection of seventeen essays that address questions of race and gender parity in contemporary art spaces (Art Practical/Sming Sming Books, 2017).

The Artists’ Biennial is supported by The Ford Family Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Oregon Cultural Trust, Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation, The Robert Lehman Foundation, and Autzen Foundation.

Oregon Contemporary is supported by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, the James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation, Regional Arts & Culture Council, Oregon Community Foundation, Prosper Portland, the Henry Lea Hillman, Jr. Foundation, Ronald W. Naito MD Foundation, Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund, and Portland Events and Film. Oregon Contemporary also receives support from the Oregon Arts Commission, a state agency funded by the State of Oregon and the National Endowment for the Arts. Other businesses and individuals provide additional support.

First Saturday opening reception: We will have programs and receptions on first Saturdays of May, June, July, and August.